According to the Association of Pool Spa Professionals, there are 10.4 million residential and 309,000 public swimming pools in the United States (Aug. 27, 2016). While swimming pools come in a variety of shapes and sizes, nearly all of them use a combination of filtration and chemical treatment in order to continually clean the contained large volume of water.
Some basic steps are recommended in order to maintain sparking clean, clear pool water. One such step is to pump water in a continuous cycle from the pool through a filter of a properly sized filtration system, which is then sent back into the pool. A pump acts as the center of the circulation system, moving water from the pool through the filter for removal of any dirt or debris prior to returning the water into the pool.
Backwashing is a vital part of the overall process and necessary to ensure that the filtering system operates properly. Backwashing is a method of reversing the flow of water through the filter, thereby flushing out contaminants from the filter. Typically, backwashing is accomplished by connecting a waste hose to an outlet of the filter and laying the hose out to a designated dump site near the pool. The direction of flow through the filter is then changed so that water flows in reverse through the filter and out the waste hose.
It should be understood that the above-referenced drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various preferred features illustrative of the basic principles of the disclosure. The specific design features of the present disclosure, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes, will be determined in part by the particular intended application and use environment.